Baby oiler



Jim, m, W5 3 D. E. SULLIVAN 2,496,,W'11

BABY OILER Filed April 28, 1947 Patented Jan. 31, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

The present invention relates to a hand-held baby oiler such as may be manually manipulated and conveniently employed for expeditiously applying an especially prepared lubricant or so-called baby oil to predetermined and .needed parts of an infant.

It is a matter of common knowledge that mothers and nurses apply baby oil to tender parts of an infant, especially where skin creases and folds occur, in the arm pits and in pubic areas. Small cotton swabs are commonly used. The most common practice is to apply the baby oil with a swab immediately after giving the baby a bath, although all sorts of makeshift include methods and appliances are employed much to the discomfort of the infant and without satisfactory accomplishments.

In carrying out the principles of the instant invention, a simple valved and appropriately vented bottle or equivalent container is provided whereby a conventional stick-type swab, such as maybe purchased on the openmarket, may be conveniently used as the applicator.

Many and varied attempts have been made to meet the demands of the trade and prospective users in this line of endeavor; some acceptably resultful, others not. Having scanned the market for available accessories and appliances in applicators, having generally familiarized myself with the prior state of the art to which the invention relates, and using these clues as guides, I have evolved and produced what is believed to be a practical and expedient appliance, the same being especially apt for intended purposes in that it permits the regular marketed type of swab to be employed as the oil applicator.

Briefly, a preferred embodiment of the invention is characterized by an especially constructed closure including a simple screw cap, said closure having a vent tube depending into the supply of oil in the bottle, and said closure having a discharge spout and the nozzle thereof being constructed to accommodate the swab carrying end of the stick-type swab. A socket, with a retention spring therein, is employed on the closure to frictionally hold the stick, this in order .to permit clean swabs to be conveniently employed for swabbing purposes.

Another object of the invention is to provide an arrangement of the type under consideration wherein a finger depressed valve is employed in conjunction with the vent tube whereby to put the valve under convenient controlof a finger of the user and to allow oil to be'flown out through the discharge spout at the rate needed and whenever necessary or desired, thus preventing inconvenience and messiness.

Other objects and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following deare rather inexpensive and simply comprise a scription and the accompanying illustrative drawings.

In the drawings, wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the views;

Figure 1 is a view in section and elevation showing a complete baby oiler constructed in accordance with this invention and disclosing same in readiness for applicator use;

Figures 2 and 3 are cross sections on the lines 2-2 and 3-3 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 4 is a cross section on the line ll of Figure 1, looking upwardly in the direction of the indicating arrows; and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional and elevational view illustrating certain of the important details of construction.

Referring now to the drawings by distinguishing reference numerals, it will be seen that the glass or equivalent oil containing bottle is denoted by the numeral 1, the same being of appropriate material and capacity to contain baby oil or the like 8. The neck portion 9 is screw threaded to accommodate the screw threaded rim ll] of the .cap H, said cap being provided with a packing cork disc l2 and also carrying a cork or equivalent block 13, the latter held in place byscrews or equivalent fastenings M. The part i3 is provided with a bore on one side carrying the inner end portion of the tube l 5 which serves as an oil discharging spout. The inner end It is located in the bottle about the normal oil level line and just inwardly of the screw cap. The outer end is laterally deflected to providea discharge nozzle H and said outer end portion is apertured as at I8 to accommodate the wooden stick ill of a conventional marketedtype baby oiling swab 20. As before stated, these swabs are purchasable on the open market and stick with a wad of raw cotton or the like 2! glued on the outer end thereof. In this instance, the stick is stuck through the opening i8 and the inner end of the stick is dropped into a socket-forming tube .22 which is suitably anchored in the block or part l3. This part 22 is also provided with a wavy-type retention spring .23, By shoving the stick is down into the socket 22 and forcing it againstthe resilient spring, the latter serves to frictionally grip the stickand hold the swab in place.

A vent tube 24 is provided and this ,is comparatively lengthy and its upper end extends through a passage provided therefor in the block I3. The inner end extends well into the bottle and below the normal .oil level line, where it is provided with .a cork or eouivalent element 25 providing a cut off valve. This valve is, in turn, provided with stays and guide elements 26 which,

when the valve is closed, telesecope into the vent tube. The valve is also provided with an operating wire or rod 21 which extends outwardly through and beyond the part [3 where it is provided with a suitable finger knob 28 held in place by screw 29. The numeral 30 designates a cross pin and 3| a coiled spring. The spring surrounds the rod between the pin 30 and knob and normally functions to keep the valve seated and closed.

The part l3 may be described as a mount, the same being mounted on a screw cap and the screw stick, said closure means provided, in addition,

cap threaded on the neck of the bottle, the two parts I l and 13 carrying the main elements or devices and all of these, collectively speaking,

constitute a dispensing, swabbing and valving assembly.

This device operates in the following manner: The oiler assembly (parts l0, ll, I3 and. elements on the latter) is unscrewed from the bottle and baby oil is poured into the reservoir bottle to the level marked on the bottle. (It is not filled more than this amount due to the fact that when the baby oiler is inverted to be used, the level of the oil in the reservoir must be below the air vent valve.) The assembly is screwed onto the bottle and a cotton swab is inserted, first through the hole in the top of nozzle I1, then into 22 until the base of the cotton is resting on the plastic oil passage tube 15. When ready to use, the device is held in ones hand, is inverted and oil is applied by swabbing the desired region with the cotton tip of the swab 2!. One finger should be kept lightly resting on 28 and as more oil is required, 2'8 is forced down (in respect to the bottle) and immediately released. This results in a momentary flow of oil through the oil passage tube, saturating the cotton. When finished with the baby oiler, for the particular occasion, it should be righted and the cotton swab stick immediately removed and discarded. Then insert a new swab stick and the baby oiler is in readiness for use at any time. The air vent valve assembly vents atmospheric air into the normally closed air chamber above the baby. oil when the device is in use in the inverted position. Valve 25 is held firm against the end of 24 by the compression spring, exerting force against 28 tending to move it away from the assembly.

If the valve 25 should be held open too long, the oil would flow off the end of the cotton swab-2l, as freely as through the tube l5, once the cotton became saturated thoroughly, hence the necessity for momentarily operating the valve as one desires depending upon the degree of oil application desired. When the cotton becomes saturated, the valve should be closed. A simple pipe cleaner (not shown) can be used to clean the oil passage of the tube any time it is desired to do so.

A careful consideration of the foregoing description in conjunction with the invention as illustrated in the drawings will enable the reader to obtain a clear understanding and impression of the alleged features of merit and novelty sulficient to clarify the construction of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

Minor changes in shape, size, materials and rearrangement of parts may be resorted to in actual practice so long as no departure is made from the invention as claimed.

I claim:

l. A baby oiler of the class described comprising a container, closure means for the container, said closure means being provided with an elongated pouring spout, the outer end of said spout terminating in a discharge nozzle, said nozzle with a bore, a venting tube fitting into said bore and opening into the atmosphere at one end and having its opposite end extending into the con- .tainer and terminating adjacent the bottom of the container.

2. A baby oiler of the class described comprising a container, closure means for the container, said closure means being provided with an elongated pouring spout, the outer end of said spout terminating in a discharge nozzle, said nozzle being apertured, said aperture being adapted to accommodate an insertible and removable swab equipped stick, said closure means being further provided with an elongated socket disposed close to and along side of said nozzle to removably receive the stick of the swab, said socket being provided with a friction retaining spring for said stick, said closure means provided, in addition, with a bore, a venting tube fitting into said bore and opening into the atmosphere at one end and having its opposite end extending into the container and terminating adjacent the bottom of the container, a valve for the inner end of said vent tube, said valve being normally closed, said valve having an operating rod extending outwardly through the tube to the exterior, and the exterior end of the rod being provided with a finger piece for convenient operation.

3. A baby oiler of the class shown and described comprising an oil containing bottle, a closing cap for said bottle, said closing cap being provided with an elongated tube having one end extending into the interior of the bottle and the other end extending well beyond the closing cap and laterally directed and apertured, an elongated socket mounted on said cap in parallelism with and adjacent to the intermediate portion of said tube, the apertured outer end of said tube being a dispensing nozzle and having its apertured portion in alignment with said socket, the aligned aperture and socket serving to accommodate the stick portion of a conventional attachable and detachable swab, means in said socket to engage the stick and to hold the same removably in the socket, a venting tube extending through the closing cap and opening at its outer end to the atmosphere and having its inner end projecting into the interior of the bottle, a valve for clasing the interior end of said venting tube, an operating member for said valve, and a finger piece for said operating member exposed beyond said cap and located within convenient reach of the discharge nozzle to enable the user to start and stop the fiow of oil through the first-named tube at will.

DONALD E. SULLIVAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

